Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1887-04-08
FAN AND ANT.

bors, bemoanin.
She came through the parstur where
was haydn with Cy NIullett, on her way
over to Mis- Potter's. | hollered out
"Ant!'-Lord knows why we all called
her ant; she was everything but an ant to
folks-'I hear Charleys gone n got
married"
"Nes.'
can to Fan Low"
"Low enough!' seq the old woman.
oval, Charley amt so very high, l
answered rather spitefullv. for he was
the LATEST critter | ever seed.
lies my youngest, the last o my
flock groaned the old woman: I'D a
worked for him to the eend o my days:
but now She shock her fist, an what
atween tibet fist n her tears couldn {
tell as She was most mad on gricved.
Twas mad. though. But it didn't
last long on Charley; it all got spited on
poor Fan. Ant was "A smart woman. an
jed nothin better'n to read the papers
n sit inter a discussion. Couldn't she
argee. though! The very parson couldn't
prove he'd soul. or there was eny
heaven or hell when Ant Lott helt O
him. Yes, We say true; he did rec lie
he was in kind of he'll, then: Lord. yes!
but he WASH agoin to let on twas SO!
She was sot against the gov 'mcnt. n So
ciety, n the church. n eddication. n
fdct. bout everything goin. Nothin'
was right. n She could prove it wasn't.
i never knew her to low there was but
one thing right in the hull 'varsa world.
II tibet was God. She hedn't got so low
down as to say enything aginst Him.
But Of she'd ben pariic' herself, she
couldn't have sot down harder on folk 5
failins. We can imagine inter what kind
o necst poor Fan come. Poor Fan!
She'd ben "A depo gal, tendin' tables
there, II her repetition warn't o the
best.
| alters pited them depo gals. Eff eny
o EN- was smiiin' II kinder decent to a
Teller. ten to one they was took advan-
tage of. Plenty o men mean enough to
try kiss a girl out o. brass, cause she
STAINS in public place. l never
b'heved no harm O Fan. / seed her
once slap teller square in the face fl
an insultn' word But folks would
have it she warnt all right. fur she's
given ter foolin an would git pooty
highty-tighty now an then. But lor!
some gals haint no more harm II their
hearts tibet way then frisky young
lamb. It's the same kind o. bubblin
over II both.
Fan he'd mighty soft gray eyes. an
when We looked inter EN- an saw her
ned lips tremblin' z if they wanted ter
larf right out, twas as fresling sight as
ye'd arsk to see. Twas s'prize to
everybody when she married Charley.
He warn't known to We been waitn ON
her. Course his folks all thought she'd
drawn the wool over his eyes. Ant was
wust of all. But nobody. not blind,
could help seem he's dead in love with
her. | never see sich happy look as
his n weeks arter the marriage. Ant $
railin's to the contra notwithstanding I.
She began on tibet. with never-to-be-let-
up in it. Fan-wal it 'peared not to sig
Nifty much to Fan, 50 long as Charley
looked happy. So the two was like
pair of kids a good while arter many a
married couple, with somethin' better
than mother-in-law' railin's to begin
with, gifts marster tired O themselves.
But 'twarn't in natur tibet this would
last. Charley was lazy as all time, as l
said Ant was right when she said
one. Fan warn't to blame; l happened
to know Charley promised all sorts o fine
things, specially one she was sot on
tibet he d work hard n not let the old
woman S port EN-. He did work off an
on fur while; but when lazness is
'ngrained in the bone, not even wom-
ans love- poorly drillin' as tbs, is going
to blarst it out.
Twas leetle farm where they lived,
and when Fan found Charley slackin' up
she turned to, an planted n hoed.
'TwOuld "A changed the mind of man
who didn't b'lieve in the hull possession
of the devil to a seen Ant then an hear
her say, scarves her right
By and by, Fan was obleeged to give
up teamwork; an though all work was
wearyin' to her, she did what she could
Twas huckleberry time. an the gal
p.cGed berries to sell to the neighbOrs as
long as she could get to the parsters. |
happened tibet summer not to be druv with
work, an many time did / go out an
help that poor gal unbeknownst to emmy
body, lettin' her rest what she would
under the shade o the trees
1t got round tibet Charley had gone
back on his wife. SO long as he was
well an lively he could stan the pressure
OF his mothers tongue; but with her
loOlin' feeble an kin o sorrowful at
him, he begun to feel he'd made fool
O hisself marryin. Just as his mother
had dingcl at him from the fust. He
got surly, II left off his soft ways TO Fan.
/ suppose them soft ways caught her.
Ever think tibet there's no c.itter to
match "A lazy man for soft, coddlin'
ways! Yet he was alters hard ON her
He'd have fits o bein' kind and the poor
gals spirits riz, and she'd look heartier
while they larsted. But the way he'd
let her work! How a man with soul
in his bosom could do that Mebbe he
lowed his mothers doctrine tibet we
hadn't souls. The baby come leetle too
soon, as was material, but didn't Ant S
tongue wag then faster then ever!
Hadn't she alters said Charley'd ben i'm
posed onf Soon's Fan got well, she
should leave 'em, bag n baggage.